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For over a year,
my income has come by unsolicited sources - always when
my savings is down to crumbs, and each time in approximately
$20,000 dollar increments.
Out of the past
12 months, for example, I spent two (2) months (different
times but added together) involved in working for all but
one of the sources. For the other ten months, I spent my
time and all my money to build this web site, the Blessing
Card Line (design, production, art work), promotional brochures
and materials (again; design, art, content, production),
planned and wrote an educational curriculum, held meetings,
focus groups, etc., and spent a week making the art and
production for a 21 foot printed banner of the book of Psalms.
All my effort produced a tired, semi-defeated spirit, and
I made $2000. in sales from the Blessing Cards at Christmas
time.
Realizing that
my larger income resulted not from my efforts to establish
my security - andt had I just painted clouds and put them
in crosses, made my studies - that larger sum of money would
have come in to me just the same - and I would have been
further along the Freedom ART Project road.
Giving up on
all my self determined strategies for security, I opted
to obey my God given directive and do what He had called
me to do in 1996 - that's right - "Paint Clouds. Put
Them In Crosses." I made the decision to be obedient
to His Call, and to leave my life support and momentum to
HIS supply.
I started painting
in April (the first time ever for the Project and the first
time for me personally in almost two years). Nothing was
lined up or expected to bring any income. I shut down everything
I was doing, turned my back to all and went into the studio
for a solitary effort, for as long as I could survive. If
God was going to provide - this was the time. If not - then
I was going down happy.
Since I started
painting clouds: income has been supplied - again, unsolicited
and unexpected - VITALITY has returned, interested buyers
are expressing themselves for the Practice Paintings (and
the paintings are being regarded as historical - [so soon?
I am not dead yet!!] ), the FOUNDATION for the BIBLICAL
ARTS non-profit is in process and planned for supporting
the sixty-six monumental paintings of the Freedom ART Project,
I was offered a loan for expenses of the first prototype
painting, I may be going to St. Petersburg sooner than I
thought, I have been offered a 'Buddy Pass" round trip
ticket to anywhere in the world, I have gained a CLEARER
vision to how i will paint the Project paintings - and the
people help I had prayed for, is emerging to move the Project
to completion.
Being obedient
to just "Painting Clouds" (so far), has produce
amazing results and thrown reason to the ground for all
my previous efforts to support myself. As I mentioned before,
I am amazed by all of this in just over two months. I should
have been out of money last month and selling my car to
survive.
Praise God -
He is proving to my stubborn reason that He is Faithful
to His promise - to His Glory. And it is this way for everyone
- for the asking and the waiting.
I have a long
way to go and sometimes think I may be one of the dumbest
to be so slow in recognizing and resting in God's Blessing
and Promise on obedience - because sometimes, obedience
makes no sense in light of practical matters and especially
from our own perspectives.
Today I upload
the pictures of the new paintings and announce the opening
of the revamped Freedom ART Project Online.
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JULY Entries ... >>7.0
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